A curated community board for freelance illustrators and comic creators

Weekly Roundup – October 14, 2016

Hello, and welcome again to another Weekly Roundup! In the Weekly Roundup, I provide links and summarized information about the crowdfunded projects, creator opportunities, and resources that have caught my eye over the week. I hope you enjoy!

As a note: I am not sponsored by any company, group, or individual listed below or elsewhere on this site unless otherwise listed.

Awards

StArt Faire is accepting entries and nominations for their Excellence in Webcomics Award! As surely many of you know, webcomic artists are some of the hardest working artists out there, but often receive few rewards or recognition for their labor and dedication. StArt Faire noticed this and stepped up to provide an opportunity for recognition that truly sounds amazing. Here’s more on the awards:

The 2016 EIW Awards are the first of their kind, designed to celebrate and promote the immense creativity of the thriving webcomic community. They are dedicated to the indie spirit of the creators doing it themselves, their way, without the marketing might or money of major publishers. They are meant to bolster the indie webcomic community, and we hope that they will become something for the community to look forward to every year.

The Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity is accepting nominations for writers, artists, and creators who work towards:

…Broadening the range of characters portrayed in comics, adding to the variety of creators contributing to the medium, influence on the marketplace and contributions to the advancement of women, minorities and LGBTs in comic books and pop culture.

Nominations are accepted until December 31, 2016, and the award ceremony will take place in Long Beach, California on February 18, 2016. Think about your favorite creators whose work has helped transform the modern comic landscape and give them a chance to get the recognition they deserve!

Crowdfunded Projects

The SpiderForest Webcomic Collective is running a Kickstarter to fund a coloring book! The book will feature at least 22 illustrations from the collective’s artists, with more illustrations available as stretch goals are achieved. Tiers include PDF and softcover versions of the book, as well as commission opportunities and a chance to be drawn into the book! Kickstarter ends October 18, 2016.

Wax & Wane, a comic by (one of my lifelong favorite artists) Kelly Bastow, is running a Kickstarter to fund the productions of its first volume! The book will be perfect bound, in 56 full color pages. Tier options include PDF or print copies of the book, sketches, prints, and a Skype lesson by none other than Bastow herself! The Kickstarter ends October 31, 2016.

The webcomic Johnny Wander is running a Kickstarter to produce an omnibus edition of their comic. Tier options include PDF and physical copies of the books, a pin, a signed book plate, a plush of Maw, and more! The Kickstarter ends November 1, 2016.

Sari-Sari Storybooks is running a Kickstarter to fund the production of its 3-book collection aimed at children aged 5-8. The books, available in both media-rich digital books and printed editions, will feature underrepresented and endangered language groups of the Phillippines. Tier options include the digital or printed books, sticker sets, and custom artwork. The campaign ends November 1, 2016.

The VVV Trilogy is running a Kickstarter to fund the production of its 3-book series, which innovatively can be read in any order! You can read the first 2000 words of the book Violas here. Tier options include PDF and print versions of the books, zines, prints, sketchbooks, and custom illustrations. The Kickstarter ends November 3, 2016.

LeyLines Volume 4 is running a Kickstarter to fund the printing of its latest volume. Tier options include your choice of any volume of the series thus far – not just volume 4! Volume 4 will be the largest book of the series yet, with 180+ full color pages and 20 pages of extras. Read the comic online at LeyLinesComic.com. The Kickstarter ends on October 21, 2016.

The Check, Please! Kickstarter started this week and met and well surpassed its goal within the day! Congratulations to creator Ngozi! If you haven’t read the series before, I really recommend checking it out. (To be honest, I’ve only read bits here and there… which is exactly why I’ll be purchasing PDFs of both volumes! Hooray!) Tier options include PDFs, softcovers, hardcovers, and some extras for higher tiers. The Kickstarter ends October 21, 2016.

The Castor’s Easy Readers Kickstarter is raising funds to produce 3 books in Castor Tales‘s easy reader series aimed at children in grades K-2nd grade. The books feature sci-fi and fantasy settings as well as people of color, nonbinary characters, and nontraditional family structures. These sound and look like amazing books to have available for young readers, so give them a look! Tier options include the books, signed or not, and prints. The Kickstarter ends October 21, 2016.

WebComicChat is looking for volunteers to fill a number of open positions. Check out the list here.

The Witchy Zine is accepting submissions of your best witch-themed art! Be sure to read the guidelines (if you can’t see the image and need me to type them out – let me know!). Submissions are due November 16, 2016.

From previous weeks:The newly launched Argot Magazine is seeking submissions about queer and marginalized experiences. Click here for more on their mission as well as their pay rates.

The Buff Babes Zine is seeking submissions for their third volume with the theme “Exoterran.” Check the FAQ for more information. Submissions are due by October 16, 2016.

Daft Zine is accepting submissions for their Daft Punk charity zine supporting Music Unites. Comics and illustrations will be accepted until November 1.

Fiyah Lit Mag is seeking an illustrator for the cover of their January 1, 2017 issue. The theme is “Rebirth.” Portfolios are due by November 1, 2016. Check here for submissions guidelines.

Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic that previously published Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, Jeff Smith’s Bone, and Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet, is accepting submissions for graphic novelists creating works for children and teens. Visit their site for more information. The deadline to apply is April 1, 2017.

The Mental Health Anthology is accepting submissions until October 31, 2016. You can use the hashtag #MHAnthology on twitter to search for writers, artists, or other collaborators. Here are the details about submissions.

The Pride, a nonprofit family-themed Voltron zine, is accepting submissions until October 22, 2016.

SCWBIis seeking submissions for the 2017 Tomie de Paola Award. Submit an illustration of yourself as a child in a children’s book expressing and portraying quickly-read emotion. Entries are to be printed on 8.5″ x 11″ paper and due by December 1, 2016.

StArt Faire magazine is hosting a Halloween Contest where winners have a chance to be featured in issues 8 and 9 of their monthly online comic magazine. Rules can be found here. Submissions are due by October 29th, 2016.

StArt Faire magazine is accepting comics, reviews, prose and art-related advertising for exclusive and non-exclusive presence in their e-magazine. Read here for more information. Submissions for the upcoming issue are due October 29, 2016. They’re also on the lookout for a regular interviewer!

Tu Books, the middle grade and young adult imprint of Lee & Low Books, has announced the New Visions Award for writers and graphic novel creators. The winner will be published under the imprint. Submissions are accepted until October 31, 2016.

The New Orleans Comics and Zines Fest taking place on November 19 and 20 is accepting applications until October 15, 2016. The festival is a free 2-day event at the New Orleans Public Library. Tables are free of charge to residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and out-of-state residents can expect to pay between $10 and $30 for a table.

Today is the last day to apply to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival taking place May 12, 13, and 14, 2017. If you exhibited last year, be aware that artists are requested to only exhibit every other year. More details about applying can be found here. The application itself can be foundhere. If you’re a Canadian artist exhibitor hopeful, you can apply here for a travel grant to attend.

We Need Diverse Books is offering an opportunity for mentorships for 8 aspiring authors and 2 illustrators who are working on diverse books. Mentorships will last for approximately one year, with mentors and mentees maintaining communication in a custom format best suited for them and their schedules. Applications are due by October 31, 2016.

Residencies

The Cornish Center for Cartoon Studies is accepting applications for its residency in Cornish, New Hampshire. The month of February 2017 would be spent in a secluded home on 12 acres of land and includes an honorarium of $600. Applications are due November 1, 2016.

Scholarships

Cards Against Humanity is funding the Science Ambassador Scholarship, now accepting applications until December 11, 2016. The scholarship will cover full tuition for up to four years of an undergraduate degree for a woman studying science, engineering, or math.

MyAnimeList is running a translation competition with submissions due by November 4, 2017. Prizes include a Macbook Air, Apple Watch, a chance to visit Japan for the awards ceremony, and potential translation job offers.

Writing

The newly launched Argot Magazine is seeking submissions about queer and marginalized experiences. Click here for more on their mission as well as their pay rates.

Tapas is seeking original prose series to feature exclusively on their site and app. Stories should have at least 3 episodes consisting of 500 to 1000 words each. Genres favored by audiences include YA Fantasy, YA Romance, YA Sci-Fi, and slice-of-life with fun, relatable characters and a faster-paced storyline. Submit by October 31, 2016.

From previous weeks:Book Smugglers Publishing is seeking submissions for an anthology on the theme of Gods and Monsters. Length must be between 1500 and 17,500 words in length. Payment is $0.06 per word, up to $500. Submissions are due by December 31, 2016.

Fiyah Lit Magis seeking submissions of fiction and poetry for their Summer 2017 issue with the theme “Spilling Tea”. Submissions are due by January 1, 2017. Check here for more information and details.

Handtype Press is seeking submissions from writers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Stories should be at least 500 words and at most 4000 words, with elements of science fiction, horror, fantasy, the supernatural, and/or magical realism. Submissions are due by December 31, 2016.

Kibou has made a version of her Leafy Brushes available for Clip Studio Paint (Photoshop version also available) on her site Shooting Stars! There are TONS of brushes available for Clip Studio Paint AND Photoshop, so be sure to say thank you!